About Us

"The reality of disability is not the business of a social minority; it concerns most of the population at some point in their lives." (Bolduc M. 1987)

Background

The idea of the CNDD was incepted at the beginning of 2006 by individuals working in their respective organizations and academia institutions within the realm of International Development programs for persons with disabilities. The premise behind the network was to create a forum in which organizations could work together and in so doing increase the profile of disability issues within the government of Canada and in particular, within the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

Learn more about the CNDD's purpose, desired outcomes and functions.

Purpose:

The Canadian Network on Disability and Development strives to:

• link Canadian disability organizations, Canadian Development non-governmental organizations (NGOs), researchers and policy analysts concerned with disability and development issues;
• enable members to share knowledge and build partnerships to advance awareness and initiatives for inclusive development;
• engage governments in exploring disability and development issues, and designing and implementing Canadian development policy, programs and initiatives that advance the inclusion and human rights of people with disabilities in ways consistent with the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Desired Outcomes:

• Increase Development Aid
• Create a consortium in Canada on Disability in Development
• Increase support for Disability in Development in development partner countries
• Improve Development policy by including Disability in all development initiatives
• Create positions within foreign affairs and CIDA who can advise on policy and programs
• Develop a twin-track approach that:
  
  
  1. Supports specific initiatives to enhance empowerment of people with disabilities
  2. Mainstreams disability so that policies and projects should include disabled people's concerns as a key development issue

Functions:

1. To share information and best practices that contribute to the development activities of the members.
2. To engage policy makers within CIDA and other relevant Canadian government departments in bringing a disability focus to development programs. The aims is to advance the inclusion and human rights of people with disabilities in ways consistent with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and to incorporate disability in mainstream development and increase support for policies and programs that focus on people with disabilities.
3. To act as a resource on disability and development and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to CIDA, Canadian and provincial Councils on International Cooperation and other interested and related bodies.
4. To encourage initiatives and partnerships to raise public awareness and provide training on disability and development and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Now is the time for Canada to take action:

• 2006 marks the 25th anniversary of the International Year of Disabled Persons;
   
• The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was passed on March 30th 2007 which Canada signed yet has failed to ratify. To date only 11 countries worldwide have ratified this Convention;
   
• Prime Minister Harper announced during his election platform that his government is committed to the development of a National Disability Act. Federal departments will be expected to show leadership in this area;
   
• A number of other countries providing development assistance have already incorporated disability as a priority within their development programming objectives.